Within the songwriter’s universe much attention is given to the chorus section or “hook” of a tune, but perhaps of equal, if not obvious, importance is a song’s verse section. When you really think about it, it’s pretty crucial to have strong verses. Most popular song structures feature a verse on their song’s timeline before their venerable chorus makes its grand entrance.

If you’re happy with the way your newly mixed track or tracks sound and you’re not planning to release the music commercially, you don’t really need to have your tracks mastered. If, however, you’re planning to send the music out into the world, you’ll want to offer your material the benefits and the competitive edge that mastering can provide.

With the line between home and studio recordings blurring daily, writers/artists are now finding themselves, more and more, in the role of de facto producer when looking to capture their latest creations. With that thought in mind, Songcraft’s “Becoming Your Own Producer” looks to dissect, simplify and offer insight into the (sometimes daunting) process and art of DIY music production.

With a majority of today’s songwriters having powerful recording tools at their disposal, just a laptop’s click away, and the line between home and studio recordings blurring daily, writers/artists are now finding themselves, more and more, in the role of de facto producer when looking to capture their latest creations.

With a majority of today’s songwriters having powerful recording tools at their disposal, just a laptop’s click away, and the line between home and studio recordings blurring daily, writers/artists are now finding themselves, more and more, in the role of de facto producer when looking to capture their latest creations.

With a majority of today’s songwriters having powerful recording tools at their disposal, just a laptop’s click away, and the line between home and studio recordings blurring daily, writers/artists are finding themselves, more and more, in the role of de facto producer when looking to capture their latest creations.

With a majority of today’s songwriters having powerful recording tools at their disposal, just a laptop’s click away, and the line between home and studio recordings blurring daily, writers/artists are now finding themselves, more and more, in the role of de facto producer when looking to capture their latest creations.

As you read along this week, please excuse any typos or grammatical sloppiness you may encounter, as I’ve given myself a limit on the time allotted for the creation of this piece. In efforts to, hopefully, illustrate a point (if only to myself), in exactly T minus 20 minutes I will, despite all completest urges, stop writing.

The "chorus first" construct begins a song not with a typical intro or verse, but with what would be considered a tune’s chorus or refrain. Conventional composition dictates that we view the chorus as a sacred section best introduced later; a section that should be grown into, with the writer organically ratcheting up a song’s intensity and the listener’s interest through the gradual addition of “lesser” structural elements.

With this post, I’d like to discuss a somewhat disturbing condition I’ve observed over the years, one that seems to afflict a lot of my songwriting compadres. Believe it or not, sadly I’ve noticed … (He whispers) …many don’t actually listen to all that much music.